


Birth of a Varcolac

by MeiHwa



Category: Original Work, TFTDC
Genre: Elemental Magic, F/M, Multi, Sexual Content, Vampires, Varcolac
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:26:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29869809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeiHwa/pseuds/MeiHwa
Collections: Origins, Tales from the Dark City





	1. Life

Vincent was married in obligation to a woman slightly older than him in his village. It wasn't a match of love. They lived together for 3 years before it was evident no children would come from the union. A second wife, younger than both Vincent and his first wife, was married to Vincent again out of obligation. Though the younger woman pretended much love for Vincent, she was quick to lose it in the household. The wives did not get along and fought to claim Vincent's affections. He only wanted a peaceful household and took neither woman into his heart. When the second wife bore no child of the union, rumors began to spread through the village. Each of them in turn was rumored to be sterile. The wives blamed Vincent for it all. If they were married to different men, they could have family. Soon the household became calmer. The wives no longer fought with each other. In fact they would talk for hours. Vincent fooled himself into believing they were finally getting along. 

Living together peacefully was only their illusion to fool Vincent into compliance. He became relaxed around them and didn't know they talked for hours on how to get rid of him. Together they went through with their plot to kill him. He was actually killed by his wives when they both joined him in bed. It was the first time they actually acted like they could live with sharing him. It was his downfall to believe his life could have simple peace in his household. He was caught up in the pleasure they were giving him. It was a simple dream becoming a reality. As both of the wives pressed their weight upon him, he didn't let the reality sink in. It was desire that brought them close, not desperation. As he closed his eyes in release, it was bodies slacking in satisfaction that blocked his air and pressed over his face. But when the air didn't return he struggled. It was too late. They had him. 

Modern times calls what Vincent went through as hypoxia followed by coma. It is when the body as a whole is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Hypoxia of very rapid onset, changes in levels of consciousness, seizures, coma and death occur. Severe hypoxia induces a blue discolouration of the skin, called cyanosis and when seen through the skin it has an increased tendency to reflect blue light back to the eye. That is what his wives saw. Vincent blacked out then his body convulsed. When the convulsions died away his body lay lifeless. The body took on the hue of what the women thought of as death. But Vincent hadn't died. He slept the deep sleep that many were mistakenly buried for. 

The second wife dressed in Vincent's clothes and pretended to slip out of town. She made sure she was seen and mistaken for Vincent. She waited that night in a small abandoned cottage in the woods. The first wife loaded the cart with Vincent's body in a sac and vegetables on top of him. She took their cart with Vincent's thought to be a dead body out of the village to market. She performed a great display of how Vincent had left them in the middle of the night and of how the second wife was staying home in case he returned. She met the second wife at the cottage. They dumped his body down an embankment that ended into a cavern. If he was found before the animals got to him, they thought it would clearly look as if he fell in the night. The second wife rode back in a sac under the vegetables with the first wife proclaiming to the village that she had turned back, unable to bear the travel alone and with no news of Vincent. The first wife unloaded the cart, carrying in the second wife with the rest of the produce. They busied themselves with spinning while people of the village came to ask of Vincent and his return. When darkness fell the wives relaxed. No one saw their deeds. 

Vincent lay broken at the bottom of a cave. His mind was buried inside a body that bled into the earth. There was no one to come to him. The only people he could have called family were his wives. He had no children, no siblings and no blood relatives remaining alive. Vincent was alone in the world... and had no reason to live on. 

But he wanted to live... why? 

Revenge would drive most mortal men to live on. To kill his killers would be a noble enough cause. He wished to see them suffer. Clarity reached his pained mind and he knew his wives would suffer for their deeds on their own. Children would never come to those barren women. He had wanted children. Even if he were to live, he would not bear to suffer as he had in the moments before they killed him. No woman would ever bear his child. 

He wished to see them suffer. 

Life though... he had never experienced life. He wanted it more than anything now that he felt it taken away. Blood seeped from him. Bugs crawled on him. But he could feel none of it. Even the earth beneath him was lost to him. He wanted to feel everything around him. He wanted life to feed every fiber of his being.Vincent wanted to live just to feel alive. The beating of another's heart, the cry of emotions, peoples dreams and 

imagination. If only they could be his. 

"It will all be yours..."

The reaper had already come for him. He sat in an inhuman pose, looming over his body. ~No not yet,~ he thought frantically, unable to lift a finger to stop death. 

"No... not yet... but soon." 

Death stayed his hand. It was companionship he gave instead of oblivion. The reaper took his hand gently but didn't draw out his soul like Vincent expected. 

~Why must I die,~ though Vincent. 

Death gave a sharp laugh, "Because you have horrible luck with women." He lifted Vincent's hand high enough to press the cold skin to his forehead. It wasn't a bear skull against his hand. It was warm skin that felt damp. "Your body dies from their deeds." 

~Will they suffer?~ 

"You will see for yourself." 

~Will I live?~ 

"All things live and die. It's nature's way," said death. "I can not stop nature..." 

"No life king." commanded a voice in the darkness. "Nature claims what it wants." 

"I do not have to want it to happen... even if I can not stop nature." Said the reaper harshly. A vision of a white wolf brightened the darkness of the pit. Without a sound it approached the fallen man. "He wants life." Wild wolves trotted behind the apparition. 

"I want him to live." 

"Then let nature take what it deserves, no life king." 

The reaper gripped Vincent's hand tighter. "He'll never be alone again." It was more of a question wanting confirmation than a fact. 

Vincent only saw the brightness of white fur. The rest faded away: Death holding his hand, the pain in his body, the memories of his life... until there was nothing but a void. 

He could hear one thing among the nothingness. It was the sound of spinning. ~What do you desire?~ came a voice in the void. 

~.......life....~


	2. Al

When he had awakened after his death, it wasn't the grim face of the reaper that greeted him. There was no skeleton in a black cloak to take him into the hereafter. Only a small campfire and a man in a red cloak sprawled out on the ground. The man's arms were folded over his chest and a hat covered his face. Vincent was naked, a blanket over his body and a small stack of new clothes nearby. A strange mix of memories ran through his mind as he tried to remember what had happened. Running through the woods with wolves, taking down prey, watching the village: all he had done on four legs. He'd watched the humans of his village more and more until he'd been told to return to the human world. It was too dangerous for the pack if he was to hunt humans. Hunger filled him at the thought.  
Then it shifted to the man at the campfire.  
So rich did his blood smell to Vincent. The scent was so strong he crawled out from under his blanket with the full intent to bite and draw the blood out of the man. As he raised over the sleeping man, his mouth opened and he let out a long sigh of breath just as he was about to attack.  
But the man lifted the edge of his hat and stared up at him with a sly, half smile and red eyes. "If you ask, you are more than welcome to drink.  
Vincent scurried back until the heat of the fire struck him and he turned. The flames warmed his body as they hadn't since he was alive. He soaked in the sensation. It was all he could do to drive the hunger gnawing at him. Vincent spoke in a horse voice that hadn't been used in years. "No... I'm not an animal."  
A scoffing laughter answered his response. "If you like to think so. But the wolves did lead you to me." He shrugged and set his hat to the side. "Then again, if you're not an animal... that might have been why." He closed his eyes, hands at the back of his head like a pillow.  
Expecting more, he looked at the man. When nothing came he spoke again. "I Am human." The man smiled again but didn't laugh. "You're as human as I am."  
It didn't relieve Vincent to hear that. He huddled slowly down into a ball by the fire. Drawing his arms around his knees, he tightened himself up in growing fear.  
"You were born human." The man said drawing Vincent's dark eyes back to him. "My blood is the purest  
human blood you will ever find." Vincent stared into the man's eyes and saw how they were not red. They twisted and turned in a whirlpool of colors. They pulsed and turned in much the same way his heartbeat did.  
"Will it make me feel human again?"  
"Probably as much as the clothes will," he lied knowing it would be much more. The man watched as Vincent scrambled into the clothes he pointed to. "And a name... it would be rude to call you human."  
"Vit," Vincent said, drawing out the name to sound like Veet. He laughed a short, harsh laugh bringing a brief moment of emotion to his face before it vanished. "Vit Sedlak."  
"Your name... you should change it." Al recognized the meaning of his name as life. There were just certain names that stuck in your mind. "Especially since you did die."  
"Give me a name then!" Vincent said harshly.  
He smiled a wickedly thoughtful smile and closed his eyes. "This one time I will. Vicek Cerny... that is how you came to me. Little.. black .. wolf."  
"You will feed me?"  
"Yes," the man said standing up. Vincent was finally calmed by amazement. The man was the tallest person he had ever seen. "I can feed you fully and completely. In trade I ask only for your companionship." Seeing the doubtful look on Vincent's face he gave a sneer. "Not that kind. I'm no buggerer of men."  
"What do I call you?" Vincent asked. A hint of a smile lifted his lips. "It would be rude to call you food."  
"I've been going by Alexander I Aldea but that part of my life is past." A darkness passed over the color in his eyes turning them back to a dull red like dried blood. "It's time for a new life. What do you think of Alucard?"


	3. Feed

He was assaulted from all sides. Raucous laughter echoed in his ears as unwanted feelings bombarded him. Wrinkles formed between his brows at the force he squeezed his eyes shut. The dull thunk of mugs hitting the table in front of him startled him into opening his eyes. Al sat across for Vic, watching him as he leaned back in his chair with one arm resting on the table. His incredibly tall friend pushed the mug even closer to Vic without leaning forward. A charming smile and a nod to the serving wench sent her blushing and scurrying off to the other tables after she realized she'd been hovering hopelessly for other attention. 

"She likes you." 

"I think she likes you with your smiles," he bitterly replied but not from the girls attention. "Curb your venom," Al said as he lifted his own mug to his grinning mouth. "Practice," he ordered . 

Vic's head dropped to rest on his folded arms on the table. "I have been," was his muffled reply. "There are too many here." 

Vic heard the mug pushed closer. "Drink." Another command. He pushed himself up and back into his seat taking the mug with him. 

"Drink, practice, orders, orders... some companion you are." 

"If you want to join your fellow man," Al said in between swallows of the bitter ale, "you must do as they do." It was a subtle reminder to watch his growing loss of humanity. They moved frequently to hide their true natures; more frequently of late as Vic lost more and more of himself. "Take in the common air." He meant remember to breathe. "Enjoy those around you." Another reminder to suck in the free wheeling emotions throughout the tavern. "Eat their simple fares." Swallow their thoughts. "And drink the local brew," Al added finally as he watched the fair serving maid cast glances at Al and himself. 

A hand clamped down on Al's shoulder and Vic caught a flicker move through his companions eyes. Somehow, the creature he'd befriended had set his eyes to an odd brown color. It was the color of dead leaves, bark, or blood long dried in the sun. Vic watched Al slowly turn his head to look up at the brawny man accosting him. He could feel the anger in the man and the distrust in those that followed him, surrounding their table. 

"Yes." Al said bringing laughter out of the intruder and his cohorts. 

"Yes he says and he don't even know the question yet, eh lads?" Laughter ensued as the men closed in like hungry wolves. As Vic let out a growl deep in his throat, Al gave Vic a kick under the table to silence him. Al's deep chuckle joined in the laughter. It caused the brawny one to grip a fistful of Al's coat. Perhaps the man thought it would anger the obviously higher classed man but Vic knew the 'cloth' would slip back into place like water. "You lordy bastards deserve a beating for coming in here and taking more than you should." 

Al chuckled on. Vic was consumed by the man's rage from the careless disregard he was given from Al. This is why Alucard wished him to practice. He knew he would be absolutely worthless if Al needed his help. When he had lived, Vic had control over his emotions. He had the ability to calm himself down when bothered. Now, when faced with such intense feelings, there was no way to make them dissipate. More correctly, he hadn't found a way yet. Vicek was determined to get control. All he had found so far was that as he lost his own feelings, others' emotions took their place. Right now, all he knew was this intruder had given him: a rage against Alucard. 

"My companion... he has been a farmer all the days he has lived and only the recent deaths of his wives has sent him into a despondent state. I wished to lift him out of his melancholy by bringing him to this fine establishment." The smile Al gave Vicek helped soothe the rage misplaced inside him as Al went on. "As for me, I've taken no more than a few tankards of ale but if you refer to yon maiden... she does not interest me." 

A good portion of Al's little speech was not understood. Some of the words were even beyond Vic's understanding but he could at least guess at Al's meaning. One of the cohorts snorted in disbelief, grabbed Vic's wrist and flipped it over in a grip that should have been painful. Vic only turned his head to stare down at his well calloused hand. He had been in only a handful of fights in his life. Now in death, fights seemed to pop up wherever they went. 

The maiden in question flushed red as the brawny one spat back, "Oh! So you prefer His lily white ass then?" 

Vicek had become more familiar with his own body; more so than he'd ever known in life. He had to be in fear that he would injure himself beyond repair and not know it. Pain had faded when his body died. Certain pressures remained. Blood could still flow within him and he could feel it moving to the starved cells of his body. However, he had no words to explain it all to Alucard. He could still eat and drink, though it disturbed him too much in wondering where it all went, so he preferred not to do either. There was no flavor to it anyway. He thought he could still taste blood but was just beginning to question if it was his own taste or the loose and flowing sensations that came from Al. 

Vic moved to stand when the insult was shouted, but was held down in his seat. At first his mind was confused by the strength of his captors; that was until he saw Al grinding his teeth. Vic stared at Al taking in an altogether different range of emotions. His body couldn't move as if he'd been frozen like ice. It wasn't just Vic that Al had used his unholy powers on. Those that held Vicek were holding on with greater strength than they had. All of it powered against them through their own blood. Trying with all his might, Vic tried to separate himself from the man's rage. He was desperate to succeed since he hadn't wished to attack their tormentors. He'd wanted to kill Al. 

Al reached up and, grabbing the man's shirt front, pulled down fast and hard. It was a sickening thud much meatier in sound than when the mug had hit the table earlier. With his free hand, Al reached into an inner coat pocket. Out he pulled a small framed painting. He looked at it with hot eyes before leaning forward to the captive intruder's eye level. "I prefer my own paramour, my friend." 

A wave of new emotion ran through him, driving away the rage. Emotions Vic remembered feeling only a few times when he'd lived. Love, longing and possessive jealousy all overcame the hatred leaving Vic to stare at Al. The intense feelings filled Vic so fully he was left quite limp and complacent. Vic used those unfamiliar sensations to draw his mind away, separating himself from what Al called his brain food. Taking it in without letting himself believe it was the only way he could keep himself whole. 

Never before had Al indicated a connection to another other than himself. Vic longed to see the image that held Al's deep and intense feelings; feelings that washed over Vic and made him desire as he had never desired before. The miniature was held only in the sight of Al's captive. "Beautiful, isn't she?" The struggling man managed a nod that made Al smile his wicked smile again. Vic strained to see this beauty that held on to Al's heart. "As you can see, I prefer dark hair and arresting beauty on my woman and not the pale girl here." Abruptly Al looked up with a broad leering grin that flustered the serving girl. "Not that you aren't beautiful, my sweet."

When Al let go, the man came up swinging. Vic gave a short cry of warning, "Alucard", but he was too late. The fist slammed into Al's cheek, splitting the skin and throwing his head back with the force behind the punch. Al kept his head twisted back for an agonizing moment in which Vic thought Al might be dead. It only took a moment before Al chuckled and snapped it back again. Where Vic expected to see healed skin Al still bled. Blood seeped out and the skin discolored all to Vic's fascination. Was it just for the human's to think they had a chance? 

"Yes!" Alucard shouted out and unfolded out of his chair to remind the men just how tall he was. Vic even wondered if he hadn't gained a few inches. "Let us battle!" Grabbing the man's shirt, Al dragged him closer only to pause at the shouts of fear from the barkeep. Only a flicker of a look went to the complaints but Al 

obeyed the demand. One hand on the fighter's neck was all it took for Al to drag the man along with him. "There is more room for a scuffle outside. Let us adjourn to the courtyard, shall we?" The commotion drew the interest of every customer of the inn. Many shouted their encouragement but all kept their distance from the giant. Al glanced back at Vicek, still sitting at their table, recovering. "Are you joining us Vicek?" 

He shook his head without words and watched as a laughing Al dragged his foes out for a good beating.


	4. Succumb

Vicek's eyelids dropped to close tight again. The rowdy cheers outside were muffled by the thick pine walls of the tavern. He was alone. A sigh of relief eased out of him. It had been weeks since he had been able to claim that. Only the single steady beat of his heart was left in the room. Vic opened his eyes and idly reached out for the handle of his mug. 

"Let me refill that for you, m'lord." 

Vic tugged his hand back to his chest when the maid spoke. He hadn't felt her come back. The paleness of his face made the serving girl flush again. "I'm sorry,m'lord. I didn't mean to startle you." Quickly she lifted the pitcher in her hand to fill his mug to the brim. "Anything else, m'lord?" 

Vicek stared at her as he pressed his hand tightly to his chest feeling nothing even as his mind echoed the sensation of a heartbeat. It was just the girl's heartbeat. When had he lost his own? Had he really not noticed it was gone? 

Realizing the girl still stared at him with growing concern, he dropped his hand down, smoothing over the cravat at his neck. "Why do you continue to call me m'lord? What Alucard said was true. Farming is all I know." 

She didn't pause in her work but she did give a smile. "M'lord, you are not a farmer now are you?" A glance caught the shake of his head and she lifted the pitcher. "Do you plan to return to your farm? Do you have to farm again?" 

Vic tried to picture himself farming again. The hard work plowing, sowing and reaping the fields as he had when he was younger flowed through his mind. It had been lonely work as he raised himself after his parents deaths, even lonelier once his wives alienated him. A brief flicker of Alucard joining him back on his farm to keep him company passed through his thoughts but one sneering image of Al distastefully holding a hoe broke the thought. Alucard would never lower himself to such work. Vic was better off realizing he would never be allowed to go back to that life. "No," Vicek replied dully. 

"Then you should accept what god has blessed you with, M'lord" 

He held his tongue when she spoke of blessings. Never had he considered what the fates gave him as a blessing. "Vicek," he said quietly, "call me Vicek or leave me be." 

The tone of his voice was different in her mind. Even though his words were harsh, she only heard them as honey. Her body relaxed into a sultry pose as if just his name was an invitation for intimacy. "Vicek, they call me Jeanna." Her free hand reached out to touch his hair, letting the strands sift through her fingers. "I've been wanting to be alone with you all evening." 

Vic could feel the fingers running through his hair, but it wasn't right. His eyes closed and his brow furrowed. The texture, the silkiness of the strands over his skin, the softness; these were the sensations she could feel, not him feeling the press of her gentle touch.

His right hand came up between them, grabbing her hand to pull it away. It only brought her closer to Vicek. The swell of her breasts threatened to come free of her dress. Jeanna turned her head away in a shy movement that stretched her throat out in a long line in his sight. He could see the pulse beating frantically beneath her skin. However, it was not all he saw. Vicek saw twice as much and it was unnerving him. Everything he was seeing mirrored back at him in an unrealistic way. Even though he knew he stumbled to his feet, knocking over his own chair in his haste to feel that pulse beneath his lips, her vision of him gracefully taking her in his arms was overpowering. Instead of having difficulty walking across the tavern because her legs and skirts wrapped around his waist, he could see how he carried her aloft in his arms while whispering in her ear. The smell of sweat and ale vanished to be replaced by roses and sunshine. This new illusion was so much better than the reality, Vic let himself fall away from the double vision, clinging to the beauty instead. 

Jeanna pulled him close, her hands found the edges of his clothes and she dug in until she touched skin. Fast and frantic, her heartbeat strained in its solitary rhythm. It was a heart that beat for both of them. He pressed her tightly to the soft white fabric beneath them. They strained together in the primal urges of her fantasy. A passionate smile stretched her lips but her movements grew sluggish. Her heartbeat slowed. As it did, her fantasies and Vicek's illusions faded to harsh reality. The last beat and the last breath made Vic stop, knowing something went horribly wrong. Pulling back, he saw the pantry for what it was. He saw the busted sack of flour for what it was. Just when he started to shake in horror at what he'd done and as he tried to lift his head enough to look at Jeanna, he heard hiss. 

"Fool!" 

Vic was jerked away from the girl's body allowing it to slide to the side like dead weight. The hard wood cut into his back as Al slammed him against the doorjamb. "What the hell did you do?" 

Shouts and terrified sounds came from the main room. Shuffling feet of men running back inside fear in their voices. If he had been in his right mind, he might have understood the shouts of terror and shock of how 'that man' disappeared before them. He might have seen Al lean out of the pantry with a grim look instead of hyperventilating over the sight of the dead girl. Vic noticed when the long fingers of his friend wrapped around his neck to pull him into the shadows. He gasped as emptiness engulfed him and the shouts of rage vanished. When he felt the world again, he was thrown to the ground at Al's feet. "How dare you kill a human!"


	5. Dreams

Vicek pushed himself up, eyes downcast, but only until he rested on his hands and knees. The shiny brown surface of Al's boots reflected back the light of the moon and his own black silhouette. He could feel the woods around them and how the wild animals stilled at their sudden appearance. There wasn't a single sound of the tavern or any other human activity around. 

"I thought you'd be different from the others!" Al shouted furiously. "I thought..." 

Both of his hands dug into the earth, gripping the soil into his tightened fists. "What did you expect? I am a vampire! I am meant to kill humans." Vicek shouted as his hands tore from the soil and slammed back to the earth with a thud. 

"You're varcolac, not vampire!" Al countered. "You have thousands of ways to feed, yet you fall for That one. When the wolves led me to you, I had great hopes that you could learn to be satisfied without needing to rely on me for blood. You could last indefinitely on what surrounded you if you would only take the time to perfect it. Instead, you kill a poor girl that would have willingly followed you around and been your slave. She could have fed you for years if you had enough control. I could have dealt with you keeping a pet like the others." 

Vicek interrupted Al's tirade. "Was the woman in the painting your pet? Did you kill her like I killed Jeanna?" The boot caught him in the jaw and Vicek reeled backwards. Blood trickled from his split lip but he couldn't feed the pain of it. He rolled to his side not even tasting the blood filling his mouth. As Vicek rolled his lips 

together, the tip of his tongue ran over the swelling and cut verifying that he indeed was damaged even if he couldn't feel it. Unsteady, Vicek returned to his hands and knees. "Am I your new pet? Are you going to kill me?" 

"I don't keep petsss," Al hissed out. "I might want to beat you senseless right now but I don't want to kill you."

Vicek believed Al, but he also knew deep inside him that Al avoided his second question. It was obvious to Vicek that Alucard had lost her if she wasn't with him now. He'd had enough of Al's cryptic words and half truths. He had to know the full truth for once.The tall man showed too much emotion in the tavern for Vicek to think otherwise. Vicek drew on the memory of that emotion and felt it to the depths of his soul. 

The darkness surrounded them and Vicek though he was passing out as the forest faded around him. He sat back on his calves. When Vicek lifted his head to look at Al, the tall man looked startled for a brief second. Al turned his head and tucked his hands deep into his pockets like a cold man in the winter. Blinking slowly, Vicek stared at Al wondering why he wouldn't meet his eyes. Even the ground Vicek rested his hands on became an inky black darkness. "Tell me how you lost her." 

"I raised an army of undead to defeat her king and make her mine." A wry smile turned his lips. The darkness changed around them. The forest didn't reappear. Instead, a vast plain spread out before them. Thousands of inhuman looking men in armor surrounded Al, who stood with a blood soaked sword thrust towards Vicek. When they moved forward to Al's unheard command, Vicek threw himself back, but the vast army filed past him as if he wasn't there. "Elemental laws that bind me were not broken before I was stopped, but I was punished for my intent. They imprisoned me." 

"Your intent?" 

"To kill a human in cold blood." One of Al's shoulders lifted in a shrug as he surveyed the army around him. "That and raising too many undead at one time. They did get out of hand." 

The scene moved even if Vicek didn't. He was tempted to stand and watch. Living on a farm had never allowed me to see a battle before. Even the village he resided by had never been attacked in his lifetime. It was surreal to be in the midst of battle without participating in it. He then realized if he focused on the cations more than Alucard the imagery began to fade into the blackness. The event played out around him as a castle was ransacked. The battle raged wildly as if Al wasn't leading them. It was more like a pack of wild dogs attacking raw meat because that seemed to be all that was left in the castle. the soldiers in Al's army even attacked themselves when there was no other opponent around. Al had no resistance... In fact, he lifted his sword only to bat aside his own men if they got in his way. Vicek followed Al's path until it ended at a slaughtered man. 

"He was dead before I reached him." Al stared down at his long forgotten foe in the aftermath of a mini war and asked Vicek curiously. "What are you doing to me? I should rightfully be raving at you for killing that girl and instead I'm reliving my own memories." 

Vicek wasn't aware of doing anything but he saw the confusion on his companions face. The need to know what happened to the girl overrode any worry of how or what he was doing. "What happened to her?" 

"She was freed of her imprisonment of her king. She heard I was dead. I was not able to go to her to say otherwise." Al's voice raised in its frustration until he was shouting. "I was the cause of her death. She suffered because of me. Her king tortured her in his jealousy of me. I sent someone to free her in my stead because I was intent on taking my revenge. It was decades before I was allowed my freedom again. By then, I was no more than a fleeting memory for her. To see her again... How can I explain all my failures and accept seeing hatred in her eyes. The others have surely corrupted her against me." 

"What others?" His head drooped forward tiredly. The world faded to black again. His mind was spent but he didn't know how to leave the darkness. 

Al stopped his shouting and ground his teeth together, not answering. 

"What other's?" Vicek shouted. "You have said 'others' and 'they'. Other vampires? Others like you?" He paused for a single breath before asking hopefully, "others like me?" 

"I've never met another like you...There is no one like me. " There was sadness in those statements. "I'd hoped you would surpass the others: the vampires I've known. It was wishful thinking." 

"I will control it. I know I can." 

"For your sake I hope you can." His eyes darted around the darkness that surrounded the two of them. "I should never have taken you so far with me. I left a ripple. They've found me." 

"The vampires?"

"No. They call for me and I can not reach them. You've trapped me..." His eyes widened and he lunged forward shouting, "Free me before they kill you!"


	6. Pain

Pain ﬁlled him. It shocked him out of the hold he had on Alucard and sent the darkness away in a puff of black mist. They were back in the forest. Even though he felt no heartbeats, Vicek couldn't deny what he saw. A woman with a bow slowly drew an arrow from a quiver at her back and knocked the arrow on her bowstring. It was the second arrow she'd drawn, Vicek knew, because the ﬁrst one pierced his shoulder. Reaching up, his hand gripped the shaft and sent even more pain through his body.

"I feel it..." Vicek said in a low lifeless voice.

"You were not moving and unreachable," called a man leaning against one of the nearby trees. "Amy told Mei to kill him but I suggested just a shoulder wound. Undead he may be and a grey area of the laws, but he isn't one of yours."

Mei must be the archer since this Lucian said he suggested a shoulder wound to 'Mei'. She spoke up for the ﬁrst time. "You were lost. He remained. You were neither here nor there."

"He was with me," Al reassured them. "Its not like he left me alone and lost. Vicek was showing me things to remind me of my own mistakes and losses." How Vicek was doing it was still a mystery to Al but he didn't mention that part.

Mei insisted, "There was anger and emptiness when you stepped between. All heard you."

"Friends have a right to get angry with one another. I love the humans as much as I love my friends. He crossed the line. I was upset and ready to ﬁght and he fought back. What's so difﬁcult to understand?" Al was livid and defensive, aiming all of that emotion on the new arrivals.

"For all of your claimed love of humans, you consort with their killers freely enough." The second woman said. She honed the edge of her blade as she sat on a bolder looking as if uninterested in the event. Vicek thought she could be the Amy the man, Lucian, spoke of. It was strange to him that they focused only on Alucard.

Al countered with, "They were all once human."

"For the most part,"conceded Lucian but doubt still remained. "And yet it seems you like to pit one against the other. When one loses to the other, you get angry for the lost, but defend the winners."

"I protect those close to me."

Vicek looked surprised. It was true Al protected him. Even the training Al put him through was for his future protection.

"From who, Alucard?" came the angry interrogation from Amy. "The Humans? The Vampires? Us?"

"Everyone!" Al barked. "He is alone like me and different like me."

Lucian reminded Al, "Yet there are others like him in existence."

"Have you ever met them?" Al asked.

"No, but have you truly looked hard enough to ﬁnd others like him?" The archer said in a soothing voice, reminding him there were more options in life. "Ones that could train him in their ways? Or do you wish him to never ﬁnd them? You could offer him information."

A sneer twisted his face. "That's against the laws. No interfering with the natural course and all that nonsense."

Lucian smiled a knowing, half smile. "If he made another like himself, he wouldn't be alone."

Vicek had never thought about duplicating his creation. No... He couldn't damn another to his fate.

"Then I'd have two to train..." Al sounded thoughtful.

It bothered Vicek, but he was not the only one. All three frowned at Alucard. Lucian was the one to voice their joint thought. "Do not repeat your mistakes again. Be satisﬁed with what you have and cease trying to replicate the impossible. Find contentment in creature you call friend and perfect his skills before trying another."

"Why do you speak as if I am not here?" Vicek questioned. "Why do you speak of me but not to me?"

All but Al seemed to freeze. Vicek's companion gave a grunt. "Because they are careless."

Mei practically stared through Al with her penetrating eyes as the other two looked away, uncomfortably. It was now obvious to Vicek that they thought Al had been pulled away and out of sight. Having seen Al vanish and reappear in new locations, Vicek could understand their assumption.

"He is still a ﬁend that just killed a defenseless girl, Lucian." Amy aimed her blade in their direction, emphasizing her point. "She might have gotten most of them, Alucard, but we are still under orders to kill any of your lingering creations from the war."

Since the blacksmith, Amy said it, Vicek assumed the 'She' Amy spoke of was Mei.

"Only from the war," Al said with a leer.

"Yes." This came from behind Vicek, startling him into a slight jerk of surprise. It was the ﬁrst time the man had spoken. When he turned, he saw an imposing man of foreign garb. "There are too many of your creations scattered through time that seem to be an essential part of the path. However, one of the descendants of your line is out of control. She has vanquished most of your straggling army but others were in her path as well. Villages have been wiped out, races have been put near extinction. You must dispose of her."

The leer turned into a sneer. "And why haven't you done so for me, 'O Lord of Death?"

A snow white brow lifted on the man's face. "Would you like me to kill the one you wish to call 'Queen'?"

Vicek gave a shiver at both the name and the questions. The four surrounding them were just as emotional as Al but they didn't show it openly. It swelled inside them and swirled in their eyes. The arrow shifted slightly in his grip, but he welcomed it. His own pain was keeping his head clear enough to keep from falling victim to the anger and resentment they held for Alucard. The huntswoman stepped forward, her bow lowered but still primed to ﬁre. "Would you have Mei remove the arrow?" Mei... Her voice was as gentle as the wind that lightly blew Vicek's hair. Yet she was the one who nearly killed him. She could have killed him, but chose not to.

"No... Leave it for now. I do not wish to harm anyone."

"He says that now," the blacksmith muttered.

The man behind Vicek shifted around to look down at him. He knelt before Vicek on one knee. Taking in how Vicek gripped the arrow, he softly mumbled, "this one still holds emotions... enough to know he should feel regret and, by the way he twists the arrow in his own wound, feels he deserves pain."

Amy interrupted quietly with, "Or likes pain."

The older man stood and folded his hands behind his back, giving Amy a silencing glare. "I will allow this mistake to pass as a natural incident." Those glaring eyes fell again on Vicek. "Do not make it a common occurrence."

"Yes, Sir. I will not, Sir."

"Take care not to allow my grandson to draw you into these situations. Be his conscious when he chooses to forget he has one of his own." Shallen glanced away to look at Alucard before returning his gaze to Vicek. "If you are truly his friend, you will know when to interfere. Be he your master or not, remember he is as ﬂawed as the rest of us and needs no worship."

Vicek showed the ﬁrst real shock to hit him in months. Information overloaded his mind suddenly. These 'people' were Alucard family. His friend had all of the appearance of a chastised, rebellious son. "Shallen, why do you plant such ideas in his head?" Al asked with annoyance.

Shallen's steady stare seemed to see more than Vicek could imagine was visible. He looked into Vicek's soul and judged him. The man must have deemed him worthy since he encouraged Vicek. Alucard had called his grandfather both by name and by 'lord of death'. Neither were encouraging in Vicek's ears. "Heed me, Varcolac. We watch all. We keep the balance. Learn to live in that balance and your future will not trouble you. Living your cursed life was your choice to make. The ebb and ﬂow of life is for your enjoyment not for your destruction. Others forget and become unbalanced, catching our eye. We protect the balance. Remember this."

Then Shallen's attention returned to Alucard. "You must destroy this rebel of your line. The rift she leaves behind could tear the world."

Al pulled off his glasses and focused on polishing them on his sleeve. "I do not bow only to your wishes, Shallen. She is a daughter of the council, and as part of the council, I cannot pass judgement on my own.

"You must listen to Shallen, my grandson." Mei ordered. "You are a child of our race, not the vampires. You must obey our laws over theirs."

Al ground his teeth together. "I will go to court and present the issue for a decision. It does not have to be my hand to destroy her."

Grandfather and grandson stared down one another: neither won. "So be it," was Shallen's decree. "You will travel to your 'council' and pull a vote for this rampant destruction. You will encourage them to agree to this death warrant. If you are chosen for the writ, you will see it through."

Al turned away from them, showing only his proﬁle. He looked resigned and held his mouth in a ﬁrm line. No trace of sneer or leer remained. The same words were repeated, this time from Al. "So be it."

The four left without further words. Vicek did not wish to learn what he guessed might be fact, but his lips moved on their own. The words tumbled out and no matter how he would regret them, he knew he must know the truth. "Who is your Queen, this daughter of your line?"

Al didn't speak at ﬁrst. He barely moved. When he did, it was to pull the portrait out from under his shirt. The chain dangled before Vicek's eyes. With unsteady hands Vicek opened the case to look on the woman Alucard loved.


End file.
